Objects in Space

With objects suspended in the viewers space, Objectspace presented a more interactive way to view the pieces it had on display. Following on from our previous gallery, our journey seemed to continue along a similar theme of New Zealand culture with it's exhibition New Threads: Contemporary Male Weaving. It displayed objects in the traditional Maori weaving techniques in creating the grass skirts, cloaks, bags and poi. The twist was that where these have grown in more recent culture to be viewed as womens' crafts, these were done by men, aiming to "dispel long held misunderstandings about the role men have played in the history of weaving" and "examine some of the misconceptions that have developed around the significance of gender." Also interesting, were these pieces are rooted in traditional methods and materials of Maori weaving, not all of the makers of the pieces of Maori.

Having learnt briefly about traditional and contemporary Maori art, these object and customs hold a lot of cultural significance and often caused controversy when more modern artists began incorporating aspects of it in their art work, especially artists of different ethnicities. Maori artifacts used to be regarded more as crafts rather than art, perhaps also viewed more as 'womens'' crafts. When Maori imagery and symbols began to be assimilated with European art, it was argued that the symbolic and spiritual meaning was being exploited. European artist Gordon Walters in particular caused controversy when he took the Koru motif and represented it in a stylized manner in his artwork, focusing more on the formalist properties of it in creating patterns and "revitalising forms, methods and ideas" from primitive art. Issues around the appropriation of similar motifs are not uncommon when art crosses these cultural boundaries.

Image: Gordon Walters - Tamatea

Similarily, the focus of this exhibition on gender roles around these customs reminded me also of the works of feminist artists, predominant in the 70s who challenged what constituted as 'feminine crafts' rather than art, seeking to elevate it to match the more 'male dominated' forms of art. For example, New Zealand feminist artist Carole Shepheard often incorperates aspects methods such as quilting, referencing the process of assemblage, sifting, selecting, matching and contrasting to create the patchwork aesthetic. Such methods are common in feminist art to change perceptions assigned roles in society which I felt was also conveyed in this exhibition.The importance of gender roles also varies across different cultures and even in socieities where these aren't as predominant, it can still sometimes be difficult to overcome lingering traces in peoples' minds.

I think these ideas are very relevant in society today as the world becomes more globalised and many people are at bicultural, live in different countries to that which they were originally born in, and associate themselves with more than one culture. This often creates a tension when rather a sense of tradition is valued, whether around culture or gender roles. Associating with two cultures myself having been born in Hungary and being Hungarian by nationality yet also having lived in New Zealand since I was three, I feel it is important to be able to explore and express multiculturalism without fear of being accused of cultural insenitivity.

The featured work in the window display at this gallery in the was a site specific installation called Autopoios by Caroline Earley [link] exploring a "transdisciplinary study of the abstract organization of phenomena" and the idea of "a closed, dysfunctional system using vessels reminiscent of scientific glass forms and their appendages." The installation consisted of several multi coloured pieces which resembled perhaps pieces of bodily organs with protruding vessels and painting in a variety of bright colours arranged on the bottom and up the side of the platform upon which it was displayed.

In saying that it supposedly they serve no practical function, it was almost a challenge to come up with potential creative functions for it. Ryan suggested using them as a vase, sticking flowers into the open tubes which in fact would look very interesting especially if you chose equally colourful flowers. This goes to show that regardless what an artists' intention is with any artwork, it is all about how each individual person approaches it and what they bring to it. Like with any installation or sculpture, the 3D nature of it, especially in the peculiar nature of their shapes, cried out for the physicality of touch.

So again I will finish on the ideas I always seem to come back to. I prefer to encounter art in a context in which I can move around the physicality of a piece, finding it easier to interact with it and I feel Objectspace was successful in exhibiting these works in this way. At the end of the day, I think that it is the meaning and understanding you can take away from encountering art that is worthwhile, whether from past learning, curators notes, intuition or ultimately how you personally engage and respond to it that is is all about. Though I am not thoroughly familiar with the cultural significance of most Maori customs, I could relate the themes and ideas to my own understanding and past learning of cultures; even after reading the notes about Autopoios, I felt I engaged more with the meaning, thought and emotions triggered by the aesthetic qualities of the installation more than perhaps the 'intended' meaning.